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flaring problem

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  captainjack 
#1 ·
I have a 20 month old female that used to have a small flaring the line to marks problem that went away over a few weeks. In the last 2 weeks it came back but worse. She's flaring on blinds and marks. I'm doing a ladder drill with the first bumper starting at 10 yards or so and spaced out 15 or so. Today she did great till she got to the 3rd bumper and started to flare a little. I put a bucket at the point and she didn't flare again. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to correct it on marks without handling her? This Dog Has Had very little pressure and usually runs very straight.
 
#5 ·
You need to understand if and why the dog flared before you can develope a remedy. Because it has only happened on multiples, the dog could be pushing off of or flaring the other gun or the old fall. This is common for dogs in general and almost a certainty if the dog has received corrections near a gun or old fall. The dog may also be sucking in toward another gun or old fall which results in an arced line to the bird but isn't a "flare". ABC marking drills and 3-peat blinds are excellent tools to help a dog gain comfort running tight to guns and tight to or through old falls.

Take some time to analyze the reason for the "flare". Then come up with a problem solving solution to deal with it.

Also, I am not a fan of the ladder drill. When we run blinds, we wNt a dog to run with their head up, in the direction we send, until we stop them or the hit a bird. The ladder drill creates an expectation that a bird or bumper will be on the ground every 10 yards and encourages a dog to run with its eyes and nose to the ground. This is a very undesirable trait in a dog and one that is very difficult to overcome.
 
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